HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: Even with Dwight and Nash many don't pick the Lakers to win this year. Here's why.

Below are the Top 10 reasons Los Angeles won't win the title this year. This is drawing from other teams of similar build as well as an analysis of their existing pieces. Los Angeles is loaded with talent, but talent doesn't always equal championship rings and these are the reasons why.

#10 Metta World Peace is wild.

World Peace is a solid defender, but his offense is sketchy and his ability to control himself in pressure situations is horrible. Look for him to have another incident this year as he continues to age and get more frustrated with his slowing body. It's not a matter of if, but simply when World Peace will go nuclear.

#9 Pau Gasol is weak.

Gasol simply doesn't pay with the heart of a champion. Now that he is the 3rd or 4th option in the offense it won't be as glaringly obvious, but having people on your team and on the court that lack desire is a killer to team moral. Look for Kobe to continue to get pissed with Pau.

#8 Dwight can't shoot free throws.

When the game is on the line Dwight can't touch the ball. This is the same problem the Clippers have with Blake Griffin. The Lakers can overcome this by simply having everything flow through Kobe and Nash, but having your key big man not able to touch the ball is a serious weakness.

#7 Nash's defense sucks.

Steve Nash is a wiz at no-look passes and floaters in the lane, but lateral movement and man-up defense isn't one of his strengths. This will be exploited when he is matched up with speedsters like Russell Westbrook. This will be a key matchup the Thunder will exploit. This is why the Thunder are still stronger than the Lakers out West.

#6 Dwight's attitude

Dwight is known as a happy-go-lucky guy. He has always been much stronger and more talented than his competition. Unfortunately, this has made him weak. Dwight is not tough. He does not have the heart of a lion like Kobe. He has the heart of a kitty like Pau. This lack of mental toughness will be spotlighted in the playoffs.

#5 Kobe pressing

Kobe want's his sixth championship more than anything. He knows time is running out on both his career and the Laker's ability to hold this squad of players together. Look for Kobe to up in Pau and Dwight's faces early in the season. This could backfire with Dwight who isn't used to being scolded publicly.

#4 Mike Brown needs a spine

The Zen Master not only knew how to win, he knew how to let his leaders lead, but also how to keep them within his system. Mike Brown is no Phil Jackson and doesn't command the type of respect needed to keep massive egos in check. If things get bumpy early in the system look for Mike Brown to start catching some of the heat.

#3 No Toughness.

The toughest player on the Lakers is Kobe followed by Steve Nash. Where LA doesn't have grit is underneath. They lack the big men with muscle that are willing to both hit the floor and set a bone-crushing pick. Their big men are more pretty and gritty. Teams like San Antonio and Oklahoma City that don't suffer from this same prima donna mentality will exploit this lack of toughness.

#2 LA wants results.

Look for the temperature to be turned up as the Lakers struggle early in the season. They may even loose some early games to the Clippers and be threatened with losing the crown of their home town. Los Angeles has extrememly high expectations for the Lakers and if things start going south look for egos to get bruised and fingers to start pointing.

#1 First year together.

The Miami heat didn't win the first year their Big Three united in South Beach. The Lakers are no different. No matter how much talent a team has, it takes time for players to find their roles and fit together. The Lakers have the advantage of having winners already on the roster, but so did Miami. Look for the Lakers to win in year 2, but not their first year with this grouping of players.

Top Ten Definitively Worst NBA Nicknames
HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: Do you really want to be called Boobie, Pooh, or Bimbo? Really?
Here are the worst of the worst. If you're looking for a nickname on the blacktop do not ask one of these ballers for advice. I repeat, do NOT ask one of these NBA players. Here you go, the 10 worst NBA nicknames ever.
#10 Harold "Baby Jordan" Minor
Yes, he could leap through the roof, but with his NBA career only lasting 4 seasons comparisons to Jordan seem a bit absurd.
#9 Jameer "Crib Midget" Nelson
It's hard to view this nickname as anything but offensive. We know it's playful, but this one is simply weird.
#8 Vernel "Bimbo" Coles
We can only hope this isn't the type of nickname that got passed on to his daughters. What kind of grown man wants people calling him Bimbo to his face.
#7 Craig "Eggs" Ehlo
It's tough to be a dominating force in the NBA with a nickname like Eggs, but Ehlo actually managed quite a respectable NBA career. Ehlo reported got the nickname from John Lucas because when they played together in Houston they would play one-on-one for breakfast.
#6 Damon "The World's Greatest Shooter" Jones
I am a believer in positive thinking, but this just ridiculous. Jones isn't even in the top 10,000 NBA shooters of all time, let alone #1. Lucky for him though, he made another prestigious list. With a self-dubbed nickname like this, he was destined for the Worst Nickname List.
#5 David "DaWhite Howard" Lee
Anytime your nickname is referencing how you are the white version of a great black player you have the recipe for a Top 10 Worst Nickname. David Lee does not disappoint. Yeah, Dwight Howard is a beast in the game and Lee has his moments, but lets not get carried away her folks.
#4 Sasha "The Machine" Vujacic
The only way this nickname works is if his ex-girlfriend and mega-hot tennis pro / model Maria Sharapova gave it to him. She didn't and he rides the pine, so take it easy there Sasha. Your first name is feminine enough, don't try to overcompensate with your forced nickname.
#3 "Pooh" Richardson
I'm not sure what could be more demeaning than pooh. This Timberwolve's nickname is literally calling himself pooh, as in shit. Not The shit, just shit.

#2 Daniel "Boobie" Gibson

Although we are a fan, we have to say we don't want to be called Boobiey all day long. Just think of the scenarios: "Looking good Boobie. Use your head Boobie. Do you need some water Boobie." It just seems wrong.
#1 Corey "Bad Porn" Maggette
The logic behind this one actually makes sense if the judgment does not. Corey apparently got the nickname "Bad Porn" because of his ability to penetrate the oppositions defense at will, so for all that penetration people started calling him Bad Porn. Yuck.
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Rule change means Dwight Howard will wait for free agency.
HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: Dwight Howard wouldn't think of signing a contract extension to help complete a trade.
Howard is under contract through the 2012-2012 season. If he is traded and signs an extension now, the maximum number of years that contract can be is for three years.
Howard's agent recently explained why the new change in the labor agreement directly impacts Howard's decision. The new rule change affects players signing extensions before free agency and in Howard's case it makes no sense to sign an extension to help a trade. The new rule made it better for players to hit free agency, instead of extensions. This allows them to get more lucrative long-term deals. Signing now would likely cost Howard about $40 million.
Andrew Bynum is expected to follow the same painful path as Howard. Bynum could sign a three-year deal for $60 million or wait a year and sign a deal worth $100 million. Easy to see why under the new rules it's enticing to wait that extra year, hit free agency, and cash in.
It looks more and more like Dwight Howard will refuse to sign an extension to facilitate a trade. Orlando can't be blamed for wanting to get the best deal they can for Howard and Howard can't be blamed for wanting to cash in next year for $100 million. The problem is these two understandable issue make a Howard trade extremely difficult.
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Photo Credit: AP NEWS

The Nets have reportedly entered into contract talks with their own Brook Lopez.

Hoopsvibe Very Quick Call: It's now or never for Dwight Howard to Brooklyn Nets deal.

Lopez, a restricted free agent, is reportedly talking to the Nets about a max deal; either 4 years for $58 million or 5 years for $78 million. The other thing to consider is that if another team puts in an offer to Lopez, he can't be part of a trade to another team. Also, if he doesn't agree to a sign and trade it would stop a deal for Howard until December 15th, because that is when players who signed with teams in the offseason can be traded.

Believe it or not, the Howard to Nets saga has been going on for about a year now. If it doesn't go down now, how awkward would it be for him to spend the season in Orlando? Speaking of awkward, if the Nets are forced to rely on their own "in-house" guy in Lopez, would that make things weird and screw up chemistry? Either way the Nets need a back-up plan in case they don't actually trade for Howard, and Lopez is it.

But how much worse would that be? Or, would it even be bad at all? We all know Lopez missed all but five games last season due to a foot injury, which is never what you want to have your big man suffer through (see Rik Smits, Yao Ming). But when healthy, Lopez has produced, with career averages of 17.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 1.6 bpg. But obviously, Lopez is nowhere close to the defensive player Howard is, or the rebounder. But he is a solid big man.

The other question is, if the Nets do actually get Howard, are their enough basketballs to go around to keep everyone happy? Joe Johnson has to shoot a lot to be productive. Deron Williams likes to score as much as any PG in the league. Gerald Wallace likes to score. Howard needs to be the center of attention at all times, so even though he's saying he wants to go to the Nets, could he even handle being an after thought on the offensive side? How long would it take for him to complain about that?

If Dwight Howard going to the Nets has any chance of happening, it's going to have to happen NOW.